


words from the mortals below

by cryptidzero



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: (a lot of the charas mentioned will just be mentions), Other, a lot will be ocs but maybe i'll mention npcs, and relationships will be added as chapters go on, people will be added if they're mentioned in chapters don't worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-24 23:20:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryptidzero/pseuds/cryptidzero
Summary: Eva Levante feels as if the Dawning and Festival of the Lost aren't always going to be able to connect Guardians with the Nonguardians. So instead, she starts a written game of telephone, passing this journal around the Last City until the pages are filled.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

Hello, whoever may be reading the first page.

Some or some may not know me, so I will reintroduce myself for any new guardians or non guardians that might be reading this. My name is Eva Levante, and possibly this name rings some form of bells in your head.

Even if it doesn’t, that’s fine.

This journal will be spread around the Last City, always to be given to someone who hasn’t put in an entry. I feel as if the festivals, while always bringing non-guardians and guardians together, isn’t destroying the strange rift between us. Perhaps this can give you guardians a glimpse into our lives on the daily, or just how some of us are recovering after the Red War.

It hasn’t been easy, I will let you know that. But don’t worry about old Eva.

This journal’s purpose specifically will be to help guardians allow to see the perspectives of non-guardians lives, while we always get to hear and see the glory of you. It’s our turn to try and give you an idea of how we live. I think that’s a lovely trade, don’t you agree?

Once this book has been filled out to the last page, the last recipient should return it to me and I will make sure to give it to the Vanguard. Or one of the Cryptarchs. Whoever may be able to spread this in copies for any guardian to enjoy. Good luck to the future people that write in this book!

And no, there is no limit to what you may write. Just try and be polite as possible, even if your opinions on the guardians are negative. Or doodle. Whichever you please.

I hope to receive this in a future date- there isn’t a deadline, don’t worry. However, whoever writes on the last page, please return it to me. I shouldn't be too hard to find, but in case, just ask Tess Eververse in the Tower. 

Sincerely, Eva Levante


	2. lazy day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a lazy kitty

To whoever reads this. Hi.

My name is Amara. I do walks around the cities and help my father run his corner restaurant. Sometimes guardians like to walk in and have a calm meal due to our strict no loud noise policy.

People need to sleep upstairs, after all.

Eva passed this on to me two days ago, and I wasn’t super sure what to write in this until I saw something nice. On the walks I go on ~~sometimes i see~~ I get to see the few animals around the city. A lot of dogs and rabbits, but sometimes I get to see some cats.

Like this one.

He (She? I couldn’t tell) was just kind of relaxing next to this booth. I know my artistic abilities is subpar but I think I was able to capture the relaxed comfort this cat had. It was a little orange and white cat. The booth next let me pet him and told me his name was Gingersnap. 

I thought you might enjoy this. It was also a pretty nice day. The cat didn’t mind me sketching him nor when I gave him a nice pat on the head. He was very polite. 

From Amelia M.


	3. children's tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the italics are someone else's writing to correct the spelling errors

hi! my mom let me write here first ~~insted~~ _instead_ of my sister because she said she was not feeling okay! my name is francis and i am 10 years old! i have a sister and my mom. sometimes i like to go on walks in the ~~sity~~ city with my sister. her name is jordan and she says that im the strongest brother she will ever have! 

i like to draw too and so does jordan! she wanted me to _share_ this with the next person to read this! 

she is really ~~tallennted~~ talented! jordan can shoot cans really good and is a really nice sister! mom says she and dad use to ~~pracktice~~ _practice_ alot! but then dad said he was going to protect our home and we ran into the big woods mom told me was “ ~~forbiddin~~ forbidden!” 

do guardians get scared? sometimes im scared of the whoosh of the cool ships in the sky at night. but then jordan tells me about all the cool things guardians do (she says Ms. ~~icora~~ ikora is very pretty!) and i do not think guardians can get scareed but im not sure. do you?

i met a really really cool guardian one time. he was tall and had orange and white armor and yelled with a funny voice! he had two horns and fur and he reminded me of a lion so i went up to him and told him “sir you look like a lion!” and he ~~laufed~~ _laughed_! i got a cool red coin and he said i made his day!! 

jordan says his name was Lord Shaxx. i hope i can meet him again because he was really cool and i want to show him the games me and my friends play but jordan says hes a very ~~bizy~~ busy person. i hope he reads this!! he was really cool and awesome and all my friends were sad they did not get to see him. 

jordan is teaching me to shoot her gun too!! i get scared because of the loud bang it makes but she says its ok and that it takes time. she says shes doing it because she is scared she will leave by accident like dad but i know she wont. she cant. 

ok i have to go meet my friends!! goodbye! francis klark 


	4. irritation at its finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a callout of sorts

I have a story for you guardians. 

I own a small medical center for the people that do scouting missions on the outer edges of the City. I usually treat for the sick and ill, but sometimes I’ll teach the young children in the area about pre-Golden Age history. I remember seeing their faces light up as I described and showed old weathered illustrations of animals, large and proud and predatorial. 

Do you know what happened, one eve when I was away to help do emergency work for a friend of a friend? I come back to my medical center and find it halfway looted. A cloaked individual rummaging around, muttering something about morphine (which is rare to come across these days for us non-guardians) and helping out a friend. 

Of course, I threaten violence; it took buying from shady people to get some of those valuable books and tools. And of course, they drop what they had, face hidden under their hood. I recognized the pattern of a Hunter. 

  
I asked them why didn’t they just ask for my help. They said they didn’t trust me, that even with skill the injury for their friend was too serious as if I wasn’t around during the Red War and had to survive off of my own before I took refuge at the farm. 

How entitled do you have to be to rob a non-guardian’s medical center? You have Ghosts that can heal your injuries. You have professionals at the Tower. You have all these options but you choose to rob a non-guardian’s store because you think you know better. 

I was able to get them out of my center and keep my valuables. And I try not to let one bad experience get in the way of the larger picture. I don’t. But this wasn’t the first time a god damn guardian tried to rob _my_ medical center because they want to act like an _entitled_ _child_ and not use one of the options they have at their disposal. 

Imagine. You kill one God-like being and suddenly you have the right to rob non-guardians. What would your ancestors think about you? What would your family think? What would your dear Vanguard think? Would they pass a blind eye or would they punish you with a slap on the wrist?  
  
Don’t ever rob from my store again, you thieves. 


	5. questions, questions, questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> do yall ???

Do guardians like music?

Do you guys like, listen to music from the past ages? How is it? What is it like? 

Is it like the music sometimes we hear from the Tower in celebration or is it more quiet? I want to know because it seems to… relaxing to be able to find so many music types and be able to listen to them at leisure. 

I remember one time my younger brother ran off and talked to one of the guardians- I think it was a Titan? I’m not super sure. But he looked… overjoyed to hear faint music emitting from the titan’s ghost. He said it was like the music sometimes played during the festivals but louder and had more instruments. 

He enjoyed it a lot. I hope that titan reads this. You really made his day. 

And do you guys ever get into stupid debates with each other? Because we do that a lot with how we think you guys live. I wonder if you do it for us too. Me and my friends have been arguing over if Hunters do knife rituals for good luck in Crucible games. Do you guys actually do it or do you just wing it? 

Another example is if like… do you guys need to use the bathroom or bathe? I think you still do but my dad insists your ghosts just take care of everything. Or do you just… release it there in a corner and your ghost cleans up the rest? I’m genuinely curious. A lot of us debate over this because your ghosts do a lot. 

And do your ghosts customize themselves to your tastes or do you strip them of their shells and replace it? Do they ever hate whatever the hell you put them in? And if they’re upset at you do they actually ignore your need to be revived? 

Do you guys actually sleep? I heard a few guardians actually work until they die of exhaustion but I’m not sure if it’s actually the need for rest or if they just work too much. I think you guys can just go on straight for 4 weeks, but I’ve heard you also sleep like an actual corpse. 

These are just questions I've heard from family and others. Please, I’m so curious. I want to know. Sincerely, Alfred O. 


	6. revival

Wow. This book went through shit. Apologies to future readers, but I think someone dropped it in the rain and didn’t grab it for a few days. Or weeks. The papers are pretty damaged but the prior letters are still legible. 

So hi. I’d rather not my name be out there but I own one of the stalls in the main market area. I have a cat. His name is Gingersnap, and he’s mostly known to the titans that stroll in the city because he likes to snuggle up in their armor. Especially if it has that fur around the collar. 

He’s a bit stupid for a cat, but he’s too affectionate and he brings in customers. Plus I love him too much. 

Anyway, I just wanna thank some of the guardians that do like to come into the city besides for dinner. It really brings light to the children when they see you guys preparing for a sparrow race on the outskirts or something like it. 

They also adore watching the Crucible matches they can catch. I think some teenagers started their own PG version so the kids can get their rowdy energy out. It’s actually quite entertaining; sometimes I’ll catch the matches for them and the two teenagers running it take it as seriously as the real deal. I think Lord Shaxx would be proud of them either way. Really gets the children hopeful and it gives them the training to fight if needed. 

But besides that you’re all… just a delight to see. Did you know I found Gingersnap because a hunter and their fireteam came running in the market with the cat because it had an injured leg? I was able to give it the proper care (or at least what I could do) and the guardians wanted to give it to me. Their only requirement was to call it Gingersnap and that they can visit whenever they want. Now that fireteam will come over once a month and we’ll enjoy a nice dinner. They’re nice fellows. I hope they see this. 

To try and keep Ms. Levante’s idea going I’ll pass this to someone in the market. I hope whoever reads this has a good evening, day, space time, whatever. 

Gingersnap’s Owner. 


	7. rat pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rats collect the lost ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter seems weird, i wanted to use something with the rat king lore tab but my motivation kicked itself out halfway through.

Can I tell you a story?

You guys know of the Rat King? I overheard some guardians talking about it, passing on whether or not it was true. I think the Hunter had made the claim it can’t be, saying “children would instantly get killed out there- no doubt.” 

I wanna share this with you. During the Red War, me and my family barely escaped with our lives. We ran into the woods, the screams of engines and people all around us. We knew of the terrors outside the walls, but it was safer than whatever the hell those mutant-rhino’s had planned. 

Either way, we traveled quite far. It was pitch black out, besides the burning embers of the City, and we set up temporary camp on the edge of the lake. My little sister, Ava, was  dying in a very bad state. She got… . 

I’d rather not mention it. But we tried our best to help her rest- she was coughing and crying, eyes dry and sniffling nothing but the clean ozone of the forest. My parents whispered as much as they could, telling her they loved her so much and that she would be okay. I agreed to be on watch, and I felt the awful drop of guilt in my stomach as my sister wheezed in pain. Both of my parents fell asleep crying. 

It was around the time the fire was just embers and the sun barely peeking over the gray clouds did she whisper to me, and me only, “look in the woods.” 

I tried to follow her line of vision, but I could only see the tree bark and bushes. 

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Ava.” 

“No. Look in the woods.”

Again, I tried to follow her line of vision. I still couldn’t see anything past the spruce trees and the shrubbery. 

She pulled me close to her, and whispered something… a bit haunting, in my opinion.

  
“It’s the Rat King,” she whispered, voice weak and her small grip losing its strength, “and I think he’s waiting for you to go to sleep.” 

Now, call or say what you will, but in the sweltering summer heat of the early morning, I felt a chill go down my back. It was like a heavy cold blanket draped itself over me, and I felt the harshness of my exhaustion catching up.

“I love you, Ava,” I whispered back, holding her small frail hand in mine. I think I was crying. 

“We love you too,” she whispered back, and I felt like the weight of a thousand souls pressed on my ribcage before gasping awake, Ava’s charm in my hand and my parents sobbing and screaming into the dark, expanse of woods.

**Author's Note:**

> each chapter will probably be a page length in docs, so they'll be a bit short  
> there isn't a specific update schedule or chapter limit. i'll probably just write until i feel as if a normal journal is filled.  
> warnings will update if they need to. i'll also include warnings at the start of each chapter in case. there also might be small doodles in "chapters" so keep an eye out for those.


End file.
